Chiefs vs. Patriots: Key matchups in a battle for AFC supremacy
A look at the key matchups in play for the Chiefs vs. Patriots in Week 4.
When the Kansas City Chiefs take on the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon, it will be a second consecutive battle between two of the AFC’s top teams to establish early season supremacy over the conference. These games are important not only to establish benchmarks for where one team stands in relation to the others, but also to gain familiarity with opponents that you’re likely to see when the games mean the most in January.
The defending Super Bowl Champions passed their first test in a primetime game against last year’s AFC number one seed by beating the Baltimore Ravens in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated.
Which matchups will matter the most in the battle between the last two Super Bowl winners?
Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs. the Pats run defense
Bill Belichick, year in and year out, fields one of the league’s best defenses and rarely do they excel more obviously than in stopping opposing running backs. Despite that, it has not stopped Chiefs running backs from having epic games against New England when the two foes meet up. Jamaal Charles had huge games against New England in years past, and then there’s the breakout game by Kareem Hunt in the 2017 trouncing of the Brady-led Pats.
This year, the Pats are allowing a robust 6.2 yards/play overall—8th worst in the NFL—and they’re ranked 21st overall in 4.6 rushing yards/carry. The heralded defenses of the past are now ghosts as the Pats have struggled defensively so far in 2020.
On Sunday, the Patriots are tasked with lining up against the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner in Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Through three games, he’s on pace for over 1,700 yards from scrimmage and has been a catalyst for the Chiefs offense in their undefeated start.
If CEH continues his hot start, and the Patriots defensive front is unable to slow him down, the Chiefs’ offense becomes very difficult to stop, and the champs will roll again.